The degrees are best differentiated by looking at the credit hours they entail. Besides the Liberal Arts and Bible courses required, the breakdown for each major is as follows:
|
BA-CS |
BS-CS |
BS-SD |
BS-AI |
Liberal Arts |
44 |
44 |
44 |
44 |
CS Core |
45 |
43 |
45 |
33 |
Other |
18 (any minor) |
17 (embedded math minor) |
18 (extra CS) |
20 AI, 17 math |
Remaining Bible |
8 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
Free Electives |
5 |
8 |
5 |
2 |
Total Credits |
120 |
120 |
120 |
124 |
A strong aptitude for math is required for the CS-BS, soft. dev., and AI degrees. The CS-BA degree also requires good analytical and problem-solving abilities.
We have observed very little, if any, difference in the jobs available for students with BA-CS, BS-CS, and BS-SD degrees. However, students wishing to pursue graduate work in computer science are recommended to choose the BS-CS option since most graduate comp. sci. programs require the same math courses required in the BS-CS major.
Related Degrees
Degrees offered by other departments that require computer science courses:
-
Cybersecurity from the Information Systems Department requires 24 hours of CS credit. This degree is for students who want a career securing computer systems.
-
Data Science from the Math Department requires 17 hours of CS credit. This degree is for students who want a career applying mathematics and programming to uncover useful information from large amounts of data.
-
Computer Engineering from the Engineering and Physics Department requires 23-29 hours of CS credit. This degree is for students who have a dual interest in hardware and software design with an emphasis on embedded systems.
-
Information Systems (IS) from the Information Systems Department requires 3 hours of CS credit. This degree emphasizes using technology to solve business problems rather than developing algorithms and software.